The present invention pertains to the field of cosmetics color selection, more particularly to customer interactive nail polish color selection systems, and still more particularly to color selection systems having an actual or virtual point of sale nail polish color selection system including a polish dispenser.
Historically the cosmetics industry has afforded consumers a broad variety of choices for colors (including tones, shades or hues) and effects. In the typical scenario, these products are pre-packaged according to a predetermined fixed amount of different colors or effects. The products are then ordinarily displayed to reveal a spectrum of a fixed number of colors. However, because of manufacturing and other practical limitations, point of sale displays only afford a finite number of selections for the consumer. Consequently, the consumer""s choice of color will be limited by present availability or supply of a particular color choice, and also particularly by the specific colors chosen for sale in advance by the manufacturer. The consumer is afforded no practical opportunity to custom blend a color selection.
This has become a particularly acute issue in the field of nail polishes, where point of sale displays typically offer a finite selection of colors, and most often, confined to a range of white to red to black. Thus, for instance, a manufacturer may offer 48 different colors at a point of sale display. Moreover, the nail polishes are offered as previously dispensed and packaged items, some of which are further sealed in additional protective packaging. For sake of discussion, assume a number is assigned to each of the 48 different colors (e.g., 1 for white, 24 for primary red, 48 for black, and the remaining integers from 1-48 to correspond to the intermediate shades or tones). A consumer may desire to purchase the color corresponding to the number 21. If the point of sale display does not have a stock of that number, the consumer is faced with selecting a second choice. Likewise, the consumer might like numbers 27 and 28, but would prefer a mixture of the two (e.g. what would thus correspond to a number 27.5), the consumer will be also prevented from purchasing her first choice of colors.
In recent years, it has also become popular to modify the ultimate visual appearance of a manicure by the addition of effects over some or all of a nail, such as a metallic effect, sparkles, shapes (e.g., hearts, stars, etc.), texture or the like.
Frequently, these must be purchased and applied separately from an underlying base coat. Once again, the consumer is faced with a finite selection and will be limited in choice by availability at the point of sale.
In view of the foregoing, a need has developed for a custom cosmetic color selection system, pursuant to which a consumer or other customer (such as an intermediate retailer or wholesaler) can interact with the supplier to select a specific color, effect or both, to blend the resulting cosmetic product at or near the time of selection (e.g. on site at a point of sale location, or remotely such as by mail order, phone order or internet purchase).
Of potential interest to this application are U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,407 (Galazin); U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,112 (Flynn et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,426 (Galazin); U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,809 (Meehan); U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,750 (Gouriou et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,901 (Abrahamian); U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,750 (Gouriou et al); U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,341 (Hirsch et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,693 (Gunderman et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,109 (Tobiason); U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,238 (Gourtou et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,267 (MacFarlane et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,293 (MacFarlane et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,850 (Fabbri et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,271 (Grayson et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,677 (Cohan); and U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,371 (Harris), hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention meets the foregoing need by providing a system, particularly one employed at a point of sale, for the custom selection, design, blending, mixing and/or packaging of a cosmetic, and more particularly a liquid cosmetic color, effect or both, and still more particularly a nail polish color, effect or both. The present invention includes one or a combination of components that facilitate a customer-interactive process of custom cosmetic selection. Though applicable to the selection and preparation of cosmetics other than nail polish (such as, lip gloss, eye gel, cheek gel, creams, lotions, perfumes or the like), the present invention is illustrated by reference to one example of a system for customizing a nail polish selection.
Pursuant to such example, the system includes a nail polish dispenser that contains a plurality of different shades, tints or hues of colors or pigments, which can be dispensed in preselected proportions to create a custom color selection. Preferably, an interactive computer system is in controlling communication with the dispenser, although the dispenser may be operated manually. Such computer allows the customer to custom choose a color and/or effect, information about which will be communicated to the dispenser, which then dispenses the appropriate proportions of the ingredients pursuant to information about the color choice stored in a data base or otherwise programmed. In another embodiment, the system includes a remote communications system, whereby a user can communicate, such as via the internet, with the computer controlling the nail polish dispensing system and select and purchase a custom nail polish for custom dispensing and delivery to the user.